To help you prepare for the upcoming CSR Exam this March, CCRA will once again be offering the Mock CSR Skills Exam! And, to be sure ALL students are included, we will hold the exam in both Northern California (Humphrey's University) & Southern California (Downey Adult School)

The California Court Reporters Association, in conjunction with the Northern California Court Reporters Association and the Sacramento Official Court Reporters Association, are excited to announce the California launch of NCRA’s nationwide “A to Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand” program. The goal of this intensive recruitment effort is to introduce members of our local communities to the court reporting and captioning professions through a hands-on course in which candidates are provided loaner steno machines and attend live weekly classes over a six-week period taught by experienced reporters. Join the momentum.Be the solution. Whether it is your volunteer time or a donation, it is YOU that will preserve stenographic reporting!

California Budget Watch: What about Court Reporters?

Only four days into his tenure as Governor of California, Gavin Newsom introduced his first proposed state budget. The $144 billion plan is the first step in a months-long process to adopt a state budget before the July 1st deadline.

The Judicial Branch proposal includes more than $350 million in additional funding. After the Jameson decision and 30 years without an increase in the statutory transcript fee, how much of it is going to hire new State-employed court reporters or to fund a rate increase? Zero. More than $9 million is proposed for raises of Judicial Council and other state-level staff; millions more for judges’ salaries.

Remember, this proposal is just the starting point. CCRA is already working to make 2019 the year we secure a long overdue rate increase, especially now that freelancers covering court work are also statutorily bound by those rates, and funding to increase the number of court reporters provided in courtrooms statewide. Stay tuned for more California Budget Watch emails.

President's Message

Happy New Year, CCRA Members!

Seems like each year just passes faster and faster, doesn’t it? 2019 is upon us, and we have so much in store for you, our wonderful members! We had our ﬁrst CCRA Board of Directors meeting in early November, and it was a great success. We had several members join us as guests and each of them gave valuable input. We encourage you to join us when we’re in your area. Meetings are open to our members, and we love to have new ideas brought to the table. Can’t make it to a meeting but have an idea? Shoot me an email any time. I truly have an open door (or inbox?) and want to hear from you. My direct email address is: [email protected]

We will be releasing a full year’s calendar shortly for 2019 events and important dates. Here’s a preview!

CCRA’s Board has committed to visiting every court reporting school in California at least once per quarter.

We’ll be hosting freelance mixers throughout the state. So far we have two set! Details coming soon. This is a perfect time to meet up and talk shop with other freelance reporters since we so rarely see each other in the ﬁeld!

We will continue our e-ﬁling trainings for court transcripts. Freelancers who work in court, this is a perfect training for you too! Each county’s ofﬁcial staff has at least had an overview as of this date, and more counties are going live with e-ﬁling as we speak. Keep up to date on the new requirements.

Our Mock CSRs for students will be returning before each CSR exam. We have some exciting new ideas for this that we’re eager to share! Stay tuned.

The Dynamex court decision has turned our industry and many others upside down. We will be touring the state to give you tools and options to help you navigate this new business structure. Feel conﬁdent in your business decisions with our help!

And coming soon in March 2019, we will be offering our California Action Team Training (CATT) in Glendale, California. Our industry is in jeopardy every year, and it is CCRA as a constant at the Capitol that keeps our profession moving forward and upward. We need your help! Come learn from the best. You’ll learn how to be a master negotiator, speaker, lobbyist, and advocate in no time! THIS IS THE TIME FOR ACTION!

I hope you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. CCRA appreciates every single one of you. Cheers to 2019!

All my best,

Rachel N. Barkume, CSR, RPR

Dynamex Explained

The California Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dynamex created a new legal test for determining whether someone is an “independent contractor” and not an employee. In order to be properly classified as an independent contractor, the hiring entity must prove each of the three factors in the “ABC Test”: (A) The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact; and (B) The worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business; and (C) The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as that involved in the work performed. In the context of court reporters, the analysis will depend upon the particular facts and circumstances of each individual relationship. While it is ultimately unclear how Dynamex will be applied to court reporters, this article provides a detailed legal overview to assist our members with understanding the key issues. READ MORE

Official Court Reporters:Join CCRA and Save $35 per Month on YesLaw Software!

YesLaw e-filing software is currently being used in many counties throughout our state and is considered to be the gold standard for an electronic transcript by the appellate courts who have been receiving transcripts electronically. By joining CCRA and utilizing YesLaw at the cost of only $25 a month, you will always be compliant with ALL of the requirements of California Rule of Court 8.144, Form of the Record, and will never have to worry when you upload a transcript whether you are in compliance with the Code. YesLaw software is fully compatible with all CAT software, so there is no need to purchase new. So why deliver to your clients the minimum standard when you have the ability to deliver the GOLD!!